


October the third, 1969 (nice)

by teethcherryneon



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Gen, I set this in America so it can coincide with Stonewall, In which Yuri is a captured merman, M/M, a bit slow burn, and yes the place he was captured from exists because I did my research, at least the aquarium is of adequate size, otayurio threw the first brick, the American government sucks ass, the mers are called Ryba Lyudi, which means fish people in Russian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-03-05 13:45:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13389066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teethcherryneon/pseuds/teethcherryneon
Summary: Yuri is a recently captured Ryba Lyudi, brought to an American aquarium. The government has begun sending covert missions to the coast of Russia to attempt to find more of this previously fictional species. Meanwhile, a trapped Yuri begins to learn about the strange new world he's been taken to... while longing for the love he left behind.





	1. A scientific miracle!

**Author's Note:**

> This will probably have short chapters that update casually/often, so have fun reading this!

“Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls! Children of all ages!”

 

The announcer's voice, booming the cliché phrase, reverberated around the domed room. The huge, covered object in the centre, smoothly molding into behind the back wall,  was surrounded by a crowd of perhaps hundreds, waiting to see the unveiled tank. The announcer stood at a podium, graying brown hair tied back in a ponytail, the hushed faces of the masses eagerly awaiting his next words.

 

“It’s a marvel! A scientific miracle! Discovered along the coast of Magadan on a scientific expedition led by Jamison Harrold to collect and document the flora and fauna-- A shocking phenomenon that’s been hinted at for weeks, we give you-!”

 

The sturdy steel cable gripping the thick velvet rose. With it came the cloth. The audience leaned forward, gripping their hands and hats.

 

Blue. The tail that slowly lashed, with waving fins, and iridescent scales. It protruded from a rock-cave of sorts,  Their roving eyes couldn’t miss gashes, scars, recent and old, marring the flesh. A collective intake of breath swept through the audience as it flicked, sending the creature backwards through the water. Pale skin, smoothly connected to the scales. Strong shoulders, defined torso. A halo of blonde hair, and the merman turned his face. Eyes that were a greenish-blue, like chunks of the ocean at high tide.

 

His lip lifted in a snarl, and, raising the hand hidden beneath the porous rock, he hurled a chunk of the rounded stone used in the huge aquarium at the glass separating himself from the onlookers. The audience collectively leapt back, a few shrieking. Baring fangs, he turned and buried himself in the thick, waving seagrass lining the ground and rocks, tail twitching. The announcer had knocked himself against the podium and nearly fallen off.

 

“A-as you can see, he is rather… aggressive.” the man said, recovering himself.  “The specimen was originally turned over to the government, and as we are suited to the needs of the creature, he was placed with us!” The audience was taking photos, crowding in a little more. The man stepped down, walking into the crowd to answer a few questions from reporters. Security workers were stationed around the aquarium, barring the people from getting too close.

 

“Mister Cialdini, is this creature-- could you call it a mermaid?” cried a young woman, pressing a microphone into his face. “Well, yes, I suppose so-” Another reporter, a tall man with fluffy brown hair, nearly shoved the young lady out of the way.

 

“Are there more of them? Have any been spotted?” The announcer, Cialdini, stepped back a little. Two men in security suits forced the reporters away a little,  giving Cialdini some breathing room. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling it out of its holding and tying it back again, taking in some air. “Yes, this is, as you would call it, a… merman. No others have been discovered, but the report was shaky, so there’s no real evidence proving or disproving this.” The reporters nodded, and one spoke up again.

 

“Have you given, uh, him, a name?”

 

Cialdini turned, looking back at the tank. The merman was facing away from the crowd, swishing his tail. The people were chatting loudly, taking photos, and kids were yelling excitedly.

 

“...No.” The others moved in a little.

 

“What’s it going to be?”

 

“You can’t leave him nameless!”

 

He relented slightly. “There’s still the chance he is sentient, and is capable of humanlike thought and speech… The reports said nothing of him saying anything, just growling, hissing and snapping at them. He’s very aggressive, as I mentioned earlier.” The woman thought for a moment, then spoke.

 

“Is there the chance he could have been taken from family, or a family group? How much is known?”

 

“Well, as I said, next to nothing is known of his species, the possibility of there being more is high, and I suppose that what you suggest is possible. Although if you want more information on that, you’ll have to speak with officials closer to the expedition, and not this organization.”

 

The reporters nodded, obviously feeling rather let down. However, they relented, backing off a bit.

 

Meanwhile, people crowded in again, as workers filed in, bearing buckets of various unseen things. Cialdini turned, face lighting up as he noticed them. He trotted back to the podium, grinning brightly at the crowd.

 

“As you can see, there are three workers coming in with a variety of food items for our creature! We specifically timed this opening with its feeding time, so double the show for half the price!” The crowd hummed in excitement, wriggling. One of the workers shyly waved to the crowd, pushing up his blue-rimmed glasses. Each worker lifted a different item from their bucket, green kelp, a headless fish, various shellfish. Climbing a small staircase to a higher elevation, a hatch was opened at the top of the huge aquarium. One bucket at a time, the food was let in, some items sinking slower than others.

 

The crowd chattered as the merman poked his head out of the grasses. The tail flicked, and the merman swung an arm through the water to snatch a slowly sinking fish. A small cloud of blood expanded into the water, and the blonde boy tore into the meat, fangs on display. A few groans of disgust rippled through the audience, and he pulled a piece of seaweed towards himself, stuffing it into his mouth and pulling a face before spitting it back out and returning to the headless fish.

“Ah… ha! People, more information is available in booklets by the front entrance,” Cialdini directed the crowd’s attention back to himself. “For now, I think I’ll give you a few of the facts!”

 

“This merman was captured by the Harrold scientific company, on the expedition to record new species of fish! As you can see, they got a bigger fish than they were aiming for!” The crowd tittered appreciatively.

 

As the man spoke, few noticed the boy rising up out of the huge rock structure, flicking his tail closer to the thick glass separating the species. A child pointed him out to his mother, who tipped her head at the merman. Peering at Cialdini, he advanced through the water, lightly resting his fingers on the glass. More people noticed, a rumble shifting through the audience.  He had his face close to the glass, almost glaring, but he seemed more… curious. Cialdini noticed to mumbling and quirked an eyebrow, tipping his head to look behind himself.

 

A pair of ice-blue eyes met his, and he jerked back, shocked. The merman jumped a little, too. A frown settled over his features, and he rapped the glass with his knuckles, fins waving. Cialdini swallowed quietly, before turning back to the audience with a bright grin.

 

“It looks like we have a curious fish!” A few cameras started flashing.

 

Behind him, the blond ran a hand through his hair before turning around, looking up, he swam towards the half-covered top of the mega-sized fishbowl. The tank was around thirty feet long, taking up around twenty from top to bottom. The top was half metal netting and floor, with a hatch for food, and the other half was very close to the ceiling and open. He went for that. Cialdini’s eyes popped wide at that, staring a little before informing the crowds.

 

“He… He’s never gone for the top before, as some of you may be able to see, it’s partially open, so in theory, I guess he could--”

 

The mer pulled himself out of the water.

 

Some in the audience shrieked, a few viciously snapped pictures. Security took a step forward. Cialdini gaped. The kid who first informed his mother of the boy’s movement gasped and pointed.

 

“Minami…” His mother warned, but she looked just as excited, adding in a tinge of fright.

 

The merman currently supporting himself of the edge of the grate flooring heaved suddenly, a gush of water streaming from his mouth and gills. He coughed a few times, the sound resounding through the rapidly quieting room. Then he took in a deep breath of the air, coughing again before pulling himself  completely from the aquarium.

 

* * *

* * *

 


	2. SEND HIM BACK

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't updated this in a while, sorry!! I'll try to get it moving into a proper story!

Celestino made a small noise, glancing back at the audience. 

 

A few had almost tentatively raised cameras, soft snaps clicking through the growing burble of voices. The mer dragged himself a few feet, gasping a little. It was so silent you could almost hear the scraping of his claws on the thin carpet of the tank roof. He pulled himself further, gaining strength and flexing his tail to help him reach the edge of the aquarium. 

 

He landed on the floor with a wet splat. 

 

The audience quietly exploded. A few shrieks rebounded. Celestino was shivering, staring at the merman not three feet away from him. People mumbled furiously, the sound growing as they weren’t sure what to do or if a lot of noise would make the mer spook or even attack. Apparently even this huge crowd has some sensibility. 

 

The boy flopped his tail, flipping himself around to his stomach and propping himself up on his hands. He glared at Celestino. When he opened his mouth, more water coursed out. “Send me back!” he growled in a voice that seemed rough from disuse. 

 

The crowd gasped. The merman spoke. Celestino gaped openly at the boy. 

 

“Don’t give me that look, I know you’re behind this! Send. Me. Back!” The boy clawed at his pant leg, gripping his ankle. The fabric ripped a little. Celestino blinked rapidly, grasping at the edge of the podium. “I… I don’t know what you’re--”

 

“Don’t play dumb with me!” the boy’s voice was heavily accented, telling of native Russian and limited practice speaking English; it also had a strange buzzing, humming quality that might have been air escaping from his gills. “I know your people took me from ocean and put me in this damn box!” He reached his other hand up to dig into Celestino’s other pant leg, and he slipped down onto his stomach from not having anything holding him up. It might have been pretty funny in a different context. 

 

“No, no! That w-wasn’t-- I’m just here to--” 

 

“To what? Fucking display me? I’m not some prize catch.” Minami’s mother clapped her hands over his ears at the merman’s language. 

 

“No, no, from what the report said, you were accidentally caught and brought back because you were knocked unconscious in your… struggle.” 

 

“Accidentally? You mean they tangling me into a net and beating me is accident?” the boy spat, a thin growl weaving into his words. He slapped his hands onto the ground, then dug them into the side of the podium, dragging himself up it and wrapping his arms around the top, leaning over it to be more-or-less eye level with Celestino. He glared more harshly, lip lifting. 

“What!? The report said that you struggled and they had to defend themselves from you. No one even knew you or your species existed before now.” Celestino was gaining confidence. 

 

“I may have bit some of them, tch…! Wait, no one even knew about us before now?” The boy had stopped snarling, and was wearing a look of genuine confusion. “It was actually an accident?” 

 

Celestino nodded. “Apparently they didn’t know where to release you or if you would be alright just being thrown back in unconcious. Also, they wanted to learn more about you, scientifically.” The boy nodded, frowning but understanding. “I still want to go back, though.” he said. 

 

The audience was relaxing a little, more furiously curious now than anything. “What’s your species called?” shouted one very brave woman. The audience jumped on the question, nodding and mumbling.

 

The boy jumped, whipping his head around and staring. I guess he just forgot about the audience in the heat of the accusatory moment? He blinked, lifting a hand to move a dripping piece of hair out of his eyes. “It-- we’re  _ Ryba Lyudi _ .” he thought for a moment. “In your language is fish people. Or mermaid.” 

 

He slipped a little, tail flapping wildly for a moment as he struggled to not slide off the podium. “Eeeep!!” His claws pulled up little chunks of wood. Celestino instinctively caught him, arms coming under the merman’s and preventing him from hitting the floor. He was a little surprised at how warm the boy was. He’d expected him to be cold, like a fish. But he was very warm and very alive and very nearly human. 

 

The boy’s eyes tightly closed for a moment as he braced for embarrassing impact, and they popped open when Celestino caught him. He blinked before smacking his hands away and flopping onto the floor. He tried valiantly to get up again, but his hand slipped in the puddle of water he left behind and he ended up headbutting the floor. 

 

“Owwwwwwwwwww!!” he curled up halfway on his side, hands pressed to his forehead. The audience winced in sympathy, a few giggled at how silly he looked slipping. Celestino bent down to pat him, and his arms fell away to reveal a pout. Celestino tried very hard to conceal a small smile. This fish is cute, alright? 

 

“Uhh, Katsuki, can you bring a towel and a… chair? The folding kind!” he called into a little microphone in his jacket lapel. Presently the small blue-glasses wearing Asian man from earlier ran in with a folding chair and a white towel. Thanking him, Celestino dropped the towel on the floor to dry up the water while Katsuki ran back into the side door, leaving it cracked so he could continue watching what was happening. 

 

“Phichit, shhh!” he hissed as the second man who helped feed the merman--, no, the Ryba Lyudi, earlier asked him what he’d seen. “We’re both watching it!”

 

Celestino unfolder the chair while the boy watched. He laid the wet towel over the seat and gestured to it. “You can sit on this to raise yourself up a little.” 

 

The boy frowned. “Okay.” He pulled himself over to it and lifted his torso onto the chair. “It’s not high enough.” 

 

“No, no, I mean, maybe slide your, your tail through the gap between the seat and the back, here.” Celestino pointed it out to him. The boy nodded, grabbing the chair back to pull himself further. He only succeeded in messing up the towel and scooting the chair a little bit. Celestino moved to help him, but the boy snapped his teeth and said “I can do it!” Celestino raised his hands in defeat. 

 

He struggled for around fifteen more seconds before sighing and mumbling “Help me…” 

 

The audience bubbled, quickly learning the details of the boy’s personality as Celestino helped him into the chair, smiling. Once he was situated and more comfortable than on the floor, Celestino jumped on an opportunity. 

 

“Ah, do you- could you give us your name?” the audience pounced on that question as well, curiosity intensifying and leaning forward. The boy leaned over the back of the chair, surprised that they would be interested in that. 

 

“Yuri. Of the Plisetsky of Daybreak Scale family.” he closed his eyes, smiling a little. Proud. 

 

The audience hummed, a few smiling and nodding. Yuri hmphed before raising his head a little. “I’m one of only remaining Plisetsky, so nothing else better happen to me.” He frowned. 

 

“Don’t worry! This aquarium is a home for you, not a prison. The government isn’t exactly sure what to do with you yet.” Celestino was trying to be honest with the Ryba. “You had numerous injuries and not to mention they didn’t even know where to release you and if it would be safe to do so.”

 

Yuri sighed. “I guess that makes sense.” 

 

“What’s your favorite color!?” came a high-pitched voice from the crowd. Minami was waving his arms. “Is it blue like your tail?” His mother gasped a little, holding a hand on his head to prevent him from jumping around. 

 

Yuri stared for a moment before laughing, one hand coming up to cover his mouth, his tail waving gently. He smiled. “It’s brown, with flecks of gold. Specific, but has meaning to me.” The crowd hummed, clearly wondering what the meaning was. 

 

“Do you have friends in the sea? Do you miss them a lot?” Minami was getting bolder. His mother let out an “Eep!” and shut her hand over his mouth, but it was too late. Yuri’s eyes went wide and the room was quiet for a moment. 

 

Yuri said nothing for a second; he dropped his head a little bit and sighed. “Yeah, I have friends. Mila and Sara. Especially Mila. And I do miss them. I even miss JJ, I can admit that knowing he can’t hear me. And I miss my mother and my grandfather, too. And… and... Otabek.” He pushed his head into his folded arms for a second, then came up frowning a bit. “Doesn’t really matter, but…” he looked up at Celestino. “Will I ever go back?”

 

Celestino sighed deeply. “...I hope so. The government in this country is out of the hands of the people.” 

 

Yuri looked back at the aquarium. “My scales are drying. I should get back in the water!” He slid himself backwards off the chair and started flopping his way to the stairs leading to the top of the tank. Celestino nodded. “Thank you for answering our questions! And if there’s anything we could change in the tank to make it better for you, don’t hesitate to tell us!” 

 

“I won’t!” yelled Yuri, on top of the fishtank. He slid into the water with a loud splash, sending bubbles flooding and churning. He resurfaced and pulled himself to the edge where he looked down at the audience and Celestino. “I hate green kelp, the brown is better! And I want some kind of toy or a scroll to read or whatever, I’m bored as fuck!” He let go of the top and fell back into the water, propelling himself quickly around the tank in wide circles. He stretched his tail and arms out wide, the water seeping into his very core.   
  


* * *

* * *

 


End file.
